{"id":154,"date":"2020-04-09T22:25:00","date_gmt":"2020-04-09T22:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.islandcitydental.com\/blog\/?p=154"},"modified":"2020-05-07T22:25:40","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T22:25:40","slug":"coughing-and-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.islandcitydental.com\/blog\/coughing-and-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Coughing & COVID-19 \u2013 Managing Symptoms Without Hurting Your Oral Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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There\u2019s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the\nnight with a bad cough. It hurts, it\u2019s uncomfortable, and it distracts you from\nliving your life. One of the first things that most do in this situation is\nreach for a bottle of liquid cough medicine. With the advent of the COVID-19\npandemic, not to mention the persistence of the seasonal flu, more people may\nbe taking this route. However, liquid cough medicine may have consequences on\nyour oral health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Risks of Liquid Cough Medicine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the liquid cough medicine can help you to manage your\nsymptoms, some of its ingredients can adversely affect your teeth and overall\nhealth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many cough medicines use sugar and flavorings to make them\nmore palatable. Unfortunately, too much sugar can be dangerous for your teeth.\nSugar attracts bacteria and can ultimately lead to the breakdown of tooth\nenamel which in turn leaves you vulnerable to cavities, tooth decay, and tooth\npain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The alcohol in cough medicine, albeit minimal, can still\nimpact the mouth. Alcohol is known to produce dry mouth. Saliva helps to\nprotect the mouth from acids and harmful bacteria. When your mouth is not able\nto produce the necessary amount of saliva, it leaves you open to developing\nperiodontal disease and tooth decay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While getting rid of your cough is the first priority, these\nmay not be risks that you want to take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Are My Alternatives? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Instead of opting for liquid cough medicine by itself,\nchoose instead to seek out an alternative medicine or to take the medicine in a\ndifferent way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You could opt for cough medicine in pill form. This would\ngive you the same results while avoiding the sugar and alcohol that are\nintrinsic to its liquid cousins. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you still insist on taking liquid cough medicine:<\/p>\n\n\n\n